Puffs, Politics, and A Little Thing We Call Hibbles
by Melda Burke
Summary: The city of Townsville is once again under attack by the infamous HIM. Only this time, he's aiming for congress! And just in case we're not clear, this is a HIMXBubbles fic!
1. Chapter 1

AN:3/ I OWN NOTHING! Well, maybe an OC here and there...and the plot of this story...but otherwise nothing!

Bubbles smiled benignly as she gently scooped up the tiny little house spider with a bit of tissue. "Hello, there." She giggled as it crawled to the edge of the tissue and tried to rappel down on a bit of silk. "Sorry little guy, but we can't have cobwebs in the house. They pick up dust." She carefully placed the harmless thing outside on a bush where it quickly began to busy itself with spider-chores.

Her other sisters were cleaning as well, spring cleaning to be exact. Buttercup was zooming the vacuum around, pretending it was a racecar, while Blossom was dutifully sweeping and moping the kitchen floor. Bubbles was supposed to be cleaning the bathroom, but she was distracted by the appearance of the arachnid. However, now there could be no more stalling. She grimaced as she pulled on a pair of gloves and sprayed the antibacterial cleanser onto every surface.

"Hey, Bubbles! You done yet?" Buttercup called from downstairs a few minutes later. "You're gonna miss Memoirs of a Geisha if you don't hurry!"

"I'm almost done!" She told her. Bubbles only had to do one last thing and, so she quickly filled up the tub with water and added a bit of bleach. She turned away for a second to throw away the paper towels she'd used to wipe off the mirror, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw something flash. Something red or so she thought. When she really looked, she found nothing and shrugged.

The bleach water would have sit awhile, so she climbed up on the side of the tub and opened the narrow window. On the surface of the water, there it was again! She blinked a few times. "My eyes must be playing tricks on me." She mumbled to herself.

"_Bubbles!_ You'd better get down here! The show just started!" Blossom told her from downstairs. There was the wafting scent of popcorn coming up to greet her, and Bubbles smiled gleefully. She skipped down the stairs to enjoy the show with her family.

Him's image on the water reappeared and smirked as it watched her leave. _Oh, Bubbles...daarling. Enjoy your time with them while it lasts...__**because I'll be coming for you very soon.**_

*****************************(^.^)Hibbles!****************************************

"Girls! I'm so happy to see you!" The Mayor exclaimed with obvious excitement. He hopped down from his chair. "You might be wondering why I called you, right?"

"Uh, yeah, duh." Buttercup retorted with a snort. "We told you a long time ago that the hotline is only for emergencies!"

Ms. Bellum stepped into the room. She was still as voluptous as she had been when they were little girls and just as kind. Only, she wasn't Ms. Bellum anymore. Now she was Mrs. Cartwright , having gotten married to a nice man she met at a business convention about six years previous. "Hello, girls. How is your spring break going?"

"Fantastic!" Blossom said enthusiastically. "I just got my reward letter from Harvard and they're offering me a full ride! Plus, Buttercup's set to go into basic training this coming fall."

"And what about you, Bubbles?" Mrs. Cartwright, nee Bellum, asked.

Bubbles looked down at her feet. "Um, well, I..I...I applied to a few colleges and universities, but I don't think I'll go."

"Oh? Why not?" The shapely redhead inquired, her voice never becoming repremanding as Blossom's had when Bubbles had confessed that she didn't want to go.

Bubbles shrugged. "Well, we're all three pretty famous, you know. And I draw a lot, so there's loads of people who want to buy my drawings. Many of them have offered a great deal of money for them. I sold a painting last week for more than a thousand dollars. Besides that, I've taken a few online courses and have found an editor for a book I've been working on writing."

The Mayor cleared his throat importantly. "Yes, we are all very proud of you three. Now, could I please continue what I was saying before?" They all nodded. "Thank you. Anyway, the reason I've called you here is that you know that I'm getting on in years. I'm no spring chicken, girls. That's why I've decided to retire." He paced back and forth as he talked. "Now, you all must watch the news, so you know who the prime candidate will be in the coming election."

Buttercup made a frustrated noise. "Oh, who has time to watch the news? There's nothing interesting on it. It's mostly gossip, weather, or horrific tragedies."

Blossom shot her sister a dirty look. "Buttercup, that's not true! The news can be very informative-"

"Yes, because we all _need_ to know about Major Glory's latest clothing line or Fuzzy Lumpkin's presidential campaigne."

Bubbles giggled uncontrollably. "She..she has a point, Bloss." She said between bouts of laughter. "Banjo shaped campaign buttons! Remember those! Teehehehee!"

"Can we _please_ return to the subject at hand?" The Mayor stomped his foot childishly. "Good, I might as well say it all at once so that I don't get interrupted again! IwantyougirlstolookoutforthenewMayor!"

"But there isn't a new Mayor, Mayor." Blossom protested. "Not yet, anyway. Unless you think that the candidates should be protected in case someone tries to hurt them."

The Mayor let out a frustrated noise. "That is _exactly_ what I wanted you to do. Only I need you to look out for all three of them. Williams, Franks, _and _Ophelees." He pulled out a series of envelopes from a drawer. "All three candidates have been recieving terrifying, threatening letters from an annonymous source. We want to ensure their safety and the tranquility of Townsville's political climate." He adjusted his monocle.

Blossom shot a look towards her sisters. "What do you want us to do, Mayor?"

spoke up. "I would think that it's obvious, Blossom. The Mayor and I think that it would be best if one of you were to watch , one of you were to watch , and the last one to watch .

"Thank you, Ms. Bellum."

"It's Cartwright now, Mayor. Remember?"

"Oh, yes. Thank you for reminding me, Ms. Bellum."

**************HIBBLES!()(^o^)()HIBBLES!************************

The Professor was none too happy that the last bit of quality time he'd have with his girls before they 'flew the nest' was to be spent babysitting a trio of politicians. However, he sighed and gave his best supportive smile. "I'm proud of what you girls have spent your lives doing." He began as they sat down to dinner that night. "But, I also want you to be happy. Do you really feel comfortable with having the responsibilities of going to college, working, or military training as well as having to save the city?" He poured himself a glass of water and took a sip. "Girls, it's stressful leading a double life. I trust you three to be able to handle yourselves, but what about when or if you want to start a family of your own?"

Blossom shook her head. "I don't think you'll have to worry about us having trouble with it. After all, the Justice Friends are always there if we're busy. I'm sure Major Glory would be happy to take care of a few monsters or robbers once in a while. You know, compared with Gotham or New Jersey's statistics, we have a very low crime rate. Not only that, but our criminals are very focused on small-time crime, if you could consider taking over Townsville versus taking over the world."

Buttercup snorted derisively and said under her breath, "Yeah, I'm sure Major Glory-hog would be fine with kicking ass and taking names for us. Besides, we're only _little girls_, we can't be expected to do everything a big strong man can do."

Bubbles frowned and put her hand on her sisters. "Oh, Buttercup. That happened years ago! Plus, they dressed up in drag to make it up to us, remember? I think they're nice guys, really, at heart." Buttercup's hard look softened for a moment, then she glanced away and began to spear her carrots violently. As much of a tomboy as she was, Buttercup had never really gotten over the humiliation that Major Glory had delt to them when they were younger.

Professor Utonium smiled kindly. "Well, if you girls think that you're up to it, then go for it. I just worry, that's all."

Bubbles flew up and kissed her father on his head, which was begining to go grey around his temples. "We know, but we love you for it."

Afterwards, the girls cleaned up and flew upstairs to get ready. They still, after all this time, shared a bedroom. The only difference was that each now had her own bed in her distinctive color. This night had been Bubbles turn to be first in the shower and now she doodled on her drawing pad while listening to the running water upstairs and the erratic beeps and muffled explosions coming from Buttercup's PSP. "This isn't bothering you, is it?" Her sister asked considerately after a particularly loud boom echoed from the speakers.

"No, but you may borrow my headphones if you like. I know that yours are worn out." Bubbles offered with a smile. Over the years Buttercup had grown up considerably. The most noticable thing about that was her temperment had changed slightly. She was still kinda grumpy and easily annoyed, but now she was more compassionate and less ferocious. Especially with the Gang Green Gang, Bubbles had noticed. Or rather that is to say, the leader of the gang.

*********************HIBBLES******************

Speaking of villains, the Rowdyruff Boys were out and about on the streets looking for trouble. And they found it.

Hellooo, boys. It's been sooo long...how are you?

A disembodied voice that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at all, stopped the boys in the middle of graffiting a fence. "Whoa, that ain't who I think it is, is it?" Brick whipped his head from side to side searching for the source of that all-too familiar creepy falsetto.

It was Boomer who first caught up. "Brick, Butch, look!" He pointed up in the sky where a humanoid figure with red skin and lobster-like claws grinned down at them. "Whaddya want, Him?"

"Yeah, Daddy-O, ya wan' us to run an errand or somethin'? Pick up a dress?" Much as it might have seemed to be mockary, Brick was serious. At one point in time, Him had asked the bad boy trio to pick up his dry cleaning.

_Oooh, nooo. Nothing like that. Actually, I was wondering if you could cause some **trouble **for a certain politician, _hissed the demon playfully. He made a football appear out of thin air and tossed it down to Butch, who punted it at a nearby cat scavenging in a trashcan.

"Oh, yeah, what kinda trouble?" Asked Brick eagerly, rubbing his hands together in glee. "And which politician?"

Boomer poked Butch in the arm. "Hey, Butch, what's a pol-er-rit-shin?"

His brother shrugged. "I dunno."

Brick rolled his eyes at his siblings while Him laughed heartily. _Well, all of them, really. Surely you three know of the political stagnation going on at the moment due to the Mayor's coming retirement._ Him purred, knowing that only Brick would understand, but would translate for his brothers later on. **_I need you to make as much mischief as you can for them._**

"How in the hell are we supposed to do anything to those guys? Their security is packin' more heat than a ghost pepper." Brick replied incredulously.

Him chuckled. _Oooh, don't worry about that.__**I've got that covered.**_

Oh no, what is it that the diabolical Him has planned for the city of Townsville? What evil could he possibly have in store for those poor souls running for the election? Stay tuned to find out!


	2. Chapter 2

AN:3/ I OWN NOTHING! Except for an OC or two and the plot, but nothing else. And if I made a living off of this, I would be in big trouble. BECAUSE I DON'T OWN IT. But I don't own it and I don't make money off of it. I'm just borrowing the characters for a little while. I promise to return them unscathed and (mostly) untraumatized.

Blossum landed gently in front of the apartment building where lived with his wife and daughter. She checked the address again and she pressed the button at the door labeled 2D. There was a staticky noise and then a deep baritone answered. "Yes?"

"Am I speaking with Mr. Franks?"

"Yes."

She mustered up her most authoritative voice and replied. "This is Blossom of the Powerpuff girls. I am your bodyguard for the next three months, sir." paused for a moment before inviting her up. Blossum took a minute to make sure that no one was following her, then went quickly went up the stairs. Unbeknownst to even the shrewd puff, a pair of red eyes had been watching from afar...

_Well, well, well, Blossum. That little idea to volunteer for Franks that I planted in your head really did work. I was worried that your_ **annoying pigheadedness would get in the way of my plans! **Him lounged on his couch in the TV room as he observed a thousand different screens at thing about being a demon that Him absolutely adored was the high ability to multi-task. He could nit-pick through the thoughts of a million different minds, plant malicious thoughts or control their trains of thought, keep an eye on the evil that he spawned across the planet (and even on a far off planet called Blarg-NaRfat, which is neither here nor there as it isn't even in the same demension). And not only that...

He switched the televsion's channel and a black and white program came on. He clasped his claws together. "Oh, Lucy, I LOVE YOU!" He giggled, and changed it back to channel PUFF, which he was always careful to never leave on in case his peers of demonic persuasions would not get any ideas. He crossed his legs and began painting his nails a brilliant blue that starkly contrasted with his scarlet coloring.

Him was a territorial, if somewhat lazy, demon. Him did not need to work hard to be feared, so he didn't. Lower demons that he commanded all over the circles of Hell had whispered tales of the supposed woe that befell those who crossed His Infernal Majesty. Majesty he was indeed, for few people were aware that HIM was truely Mephistopheles. He had been Lucifer's coconspirator at the Fall. He was the one who had drawn to his doom. HE was the one of the Seven Great Princes of Spirits. And it was Him who had fought alongside the Watchers for the sakes of their human brides. Yet for years following the last monumental collision between Heaven and Hell, the Him had been content with simply causing minor Chaos and corrupting the 'incorruptable'.

That was before he'd sensed the creation of a special someone. Not since the days of Johann Faustus had there been one who had the capability of controlling him. Uknowingly, Professor Utonium had indeed created a perfect little girl after he had so stupidly stolen the fire of Olympus. But only one of them was the perfect little girl having been born without a human parent to carry the congenital remains of Original Sin and without having been corrupted by greed (for knowledge) or by pride (in strength) or by any other of the Seven Deadly Sins.

Bubbles Utonium was _perfect._ Him smiled. This one would not self-destruct as Faustus had. She didn't simply have power. She was pristine enough to counter his evil. His evil could not, would not ever taint her. She could control Him, use Him to do something unthinkable.

The union of Good and of Evil.

An apocalyptic vision, perhaps? Not so, he wanted to prove it was possible. He wanted to prove that absolute power could corrupt, but not absolutely. Him would change the world! And he wouldn't even have to do more right now other than sit back and wait for his Blue-Me-Away nail polish had dried. Honestly, the things He did to keep being gorgeous! Being evil was easy, being devious was easier, but being fabulous and seductively handsome at the same time? Bitch, please. Only He could pull it off.

************HIBBLES()(^w^)()HIBBLES************************

Buttercup stomped the pavement so hard that her foot went right through it. "ARGGGHHH! WHY, WHY MAYOR?" She was currently screaming at the sky because the Mayor, when writing down the candidates' names, had been eating pickles. And it would be her luck that he hadn't noticed that the juice had dripped and smeared the ink into an almost incoherent blob!

"Ow, ow, ow, babes!" She whipped around to find a familiar green-skinned ne'er-do-well loitering right beside a 'No Loitering' sign. "Youse powdapuffs sure got some vocals." Ace remarked casually while rubbing his ringing ears. "Ya know, I could use yer kinda talent in my band, Buddacup. Youse'd be great at screamo."

Buttercup blushed, but scowled and ground her teeth. "Cut it out, Ace. I'm not a little girl anymore. Sweettalkin' ain't gonna get you nowhere!"

Ace merely smirked and looked at her up and down over the rims of his shades. "So what's got sweet little Buddacup's panties in a twist? Is bein' a goody-goody not workin' out too well for youse girls?"

She crossed her arms. "No!" That was when she realized that none of his gang members were lurking around. Usually, he'd have at least Billy tagging along or maybe Grubber hiding in a trashcan nearby. "Where's the rest of the gang?"

Ace shrugged. "I dunno. They all got their own stuff ta do, I guess. They left me about halfah block back, sweetcheeks." He noticed that she was griping a smeared piece of paper very tightly. "Whatchya got there, Buddacup? A note from one ah ya boyfriends?"

She turned away. "None of your business." She held up the paper, turning it this way and that way, trying very hard to discern the secrets that had been marred by Gherken's Prime Pickles. She didn't notice that the badboy had come up behind her until she could literally smell him. "Phew!" She waved her hand in front of her nose. "Whadday do, roll around in the garbage?"

He laughed and used the distraction to pluck the paper from her hands with the ease of a practiced pickpocket. She didn't even notice it was gone until she saw him grinning at it. "Aww, this is easy, Buddacup! Whoever wrote this writes like Billy! It says ' 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney Street'." And just like that, he was walking away.

"Asshole." Buttercup muttered, not wanting admit that she was glad for the help. She hurried off to check in with . She only hoped that he wouldn't be irritated by her being late. If he was, he could shove it.

*************(^w^)***********************

Bubbles glanced at the slip of paper, wondering if this was truly the correct address. The house in front of her was dark, gothic, and very scary. It appeared to be on the very edge of being condemned. The sagging porch creaked eerily as she climbed up the steps and hesitantly pushed the button beside the door.

"Coming!" She furrowned her brows. There was something..familiar..about that voice. Though she couldn't quite place it. The door opened and she was greeted by a pale, youngish man in black slacks and a long-sleeved black shirt. He was thin with a pointed chin and neatly trimmed black goatee and dark eyes. In the right light, she could say that they appeared to have red sparks in them. Almost as if the windows to his soul were on fire...

"H-hello?" She said timidly. "I'm Bubbles."

He smiled widely. "Why, of course, you are! Please, come in, madame!" He bowed low and extravagently. Still unnerved, yet oddly charmed, Bubbles followed the strange politician into his home.


	3. Chapter 3

"So, um, are you new to Townsville?" Bubbles asked politely while she sipped a cup of tea that he had made her.

He smiled widely and leaned his head on his fist. For some reason, his grin made her somewhat uneasy and reminded her of something. Though, for the life of her, she could not remember what. "Well, yes and noooo~." He chortled lightly. "I've visited the area around here, but I'd never truly lived here until very recently. In fact, I have not even finished unpacking yet."

Bubbles brightened. She always loved to do nice things for people, especially people that did not seem to have very many friends. Mr. Offelees seemed to be a nice enough fellow, but she had a feeling that his..eccentricities would put off many other people. This was strange because most politicians tended to have an aura of charisma around them. She mentally shrugged this off and smiled kindly. "Since I am going to be here for a while, would you like me to help you?"

He clapped his hands together. "Oh, thank you! That would be most appreciated!" She quickly finished her tea and he got up to show her what he had left to do.

He led her down the hallway and into a rather small and dusty room at the far end of the house on the east side. It was cramped in there and smelled of dry mold. She sneezed a couple of times before adjusting to it. The only parts of the room that were not dusty were the mountains of cardboard boxes labelled with various names pertaining to their contents "Let's get started, shall we, hmm?"

During this time, Buttercup was utterly bamboozled. It turns out that Snake had been lying and there was no street named Sydney. Which is really her fault because if she hadn't been adamant about not wanting to see Finding Nemo with her sisters and the professor (she'd called it a dorky girly movie), then she would have realized this much sooner and wouldn't have gotten herself lost in an area of Townsville she'd never seen before.

"I am so going to kill that slimy bastard the next time I see him." She growled under her breath as she walked along the deserted street. "I'm going to beat him until he's purple!"

"Hiya, Butterbean." She whipped around to find Butch, Brick, and Boomer floating behind her. Her hands automatically curled into fists, but she kept them at her sides. She wasn't looking for a fight today. "Say, you look kinda lost...did someone give you bad directions?"

Her eyes widened, then narrowed. The Rowdyruffs must have paid Snake to lead her astray! Oh, she was REALLY going to give that green gangster a beating now! "Fuck off, Butch."

"Aww, we're just kiddin' with ya, Butterbutt."

"BUTTERBUTT?!" She fumed and snarled at them, her face going red with fury. "MY NAME IS BUTTERCUP!" She had to remind herself that she was one of the good guys, that she wasn't supposed to kill people. Though, she was quite tempted to beat them within an inch of their lives. She forced herself to turn away from them. "Look, I don't have time for your shit." With that said, she flew up and sped away in search of City Hall where she could correct this misunderstanding with the Mayor, who had really been the cause of the confusion in the first place.

At the same time, Blossom was having a nice chat with Mr. Franks. He was a perfect match for her. He was a logical and practical man who, he had admitted to her as soon as she came in, had been a huge fan of the Powerpuff girls since their early years. He was rather young, about thirty-six, for a politician and had a kind face. His eyes crinkled when he smiled and his bright eyes never seemed to miss a thing.

Apparently, his wife had taken their son and both were going to be gone for the next week and a half on a family visit. Blossom would be staying in his son's bedroom until they returned. She wasn't looking forward to the time after that being spent on the futon, but refused to complain.

"It is very nice to finally meet you, Blossom." His southern drawl made every word seem to be a purr. "When I decided to move up from sheriff of Suburbia and try my hand at being Mayor, I couldn't really believe that I'd ever get the chance to do so. Where are your sisters? If it isn't too much to ask, I'd like to meet them, too."

"Well, it might be a while before you can, sir." Blossom explained. "We were ordered to leave your sides only if there is a dire emergency. So, until your debate with the other candidates, then you will most likely not see them at all."

He nodded and got up to refill her glass of water. "Ah, well, I am looking forward to meeting them, then. Are you planning on staying the night here for the next few weeks or no?"

"Yes, sir." She took a moment to glance around while his back was turned. His home was very neat and orderly. There were not very many colors other than the fruit basket in the middle of his kitchen island, mostly the color scheme was white and black. There was a minimum of furniture, which suggested he was utilitarian. "I hope that my staying here is not an imposition..."

"What? Oh, nonsense." He waved the comment away casually. "Your company is pleasant, now shall we talk of other things? Tell me about your adventures as a heroine, Blossom. I'm sure they are fascinating." He leaned forward, intense interest making his pale grey eyes shine.

*****(^W^)*****

Bubbles put away the final fork in the drawer, then leaned against the counter in relief. It had taken them _hours_ to unpack the remainder of Mr. Offelees's things. She was also beginning to suspect that he was overly obsessed with the color red. It dominated the room everywhere she looked! It only highlighted how creepy the house looked and felt, the darkest shadows in the corners were brought into stark contrast with the viridian theme. It was almost as if the politician wanted his house to look like a B-movie horror set.

She wasn't sure if she could sleep in this kind of environment! "Ah," Mr. Offelees smiled down at her with twinkling eyes. "How about we relax a little? I make a **_killer_** hot chocolate."

"Thanks!" He got out the cocoa powder, some cinnamon, nutmeg, the jug of milk, and two mugs. While he worked on that, they talked lightly back and forth about their lives. Well, he actually was the one doing the asking most of the time, but from the one or two questions she asked she found out that he had been a lawyer prior to running for mayor.

"I've spent a very long time find loopholes in laws and rules," He said with a self-satisfied smirk. "It was very easy for me. I represented sin..er..criminals with particularly violent histories."

"As in serial murders and rape?"

"Bingo! 'Course, although I was technically a defense attorney doesn't mean that was a good thing for them. In fact," He leaned forward as if to hand over a particularly juicy secret. "I would often suggest the harshest punishments to the judge. It was always fun to see the confidence in their faces drain and pale as they realized what hell truly meant." His eyes glazed over slightly with nostalgia.

Bubbles couldn't really understand how it was possible to derive pleasure from any person's shock, fear, loss or pain, but she nodded and took a drink of hot chocolate. She supposed he wasn't all that bad. Sure, a bit creepy and a touch insane perhaps and she wasn't entirely sold on the idea of him as a good mayoral candidate, but she could accept him as a person.

The clock chimed the hour. "You must be tired." He sighed and motioned for her to follow him. The guest bedroom was painted maroon with gold accents, contrary to the rest of the house. "The bathroom is stocked up with all of the necessities and I do mean all of them."

"Thank you, I had a nice evening." She told him. "I will leave tomorrow for a few minutes because I left my suitcase back at home, but I'll be back pretty early. Would you like for me to run any errands for you while I'm out?"

He smiled faintly at her. "Please pick up some maple syrup and milk." He stretched and leaned against the bedpost. "If you need anything, I'm right across the hall, dear. Anything at all, you just shout and I'll come running." With that said, he left the room.

While dearest Bubbles readied herself for bed, HIM contemplated important things in his nearby study. His head was propped up by his fist as he listened to the sounds of the shower running. He was showing a great deal of self-control just being in the same house as she was, let alone being able to withstand the thought of her _just next door..._He shook those thoughts out of his head. "Focus." He murmured to himself. He had to be patient.

He glared down at the desk where a stack of paperwork lay undisturbed. He needed to work on that. Since he didn't need to sleep, it wouldn't matter if it took him all night. At night was when he felt strongest and most alert, which was driving him crazy at the moment because that just meant that he could practically taste..."Urgh. This kind of thinking is not going to help." He glared at his crotch. "Please, cease and desist. I know it is hard, but would you control yourself for once? Honestly, I'm not a randy Spawnling anymore!"

He groaned. "Look at me, reduced to yelling at my dangly bits." He covered his face with one hand. "Oh, how have the mighty have fallen!" He chuckled at his dramatic joke, then got to work. Humans and their damned paperwork! Stupid red tape.

It was another three hours before he decided to get up and take a break. He had not been the victim of mental exhaustion for centuries, but now he felt drained. As a sort of pick-me-up, he decided to check up on his house guest. He was careful not to make a sound as he crept over to her bedside. She was snuggled deep under the duvet and clutching one pillow while another was tucked between her and the wall. A single lock of blonde hair had slipped down over her eye.

Surprising himself with an uncharacteristic gentleness, he tucked it back behind her ear. He had invaded her dreams more times than he could recall, but never had he taken the time to truly watch her dream. She was absolutely adorable, not that she wasn't cute when she was awake, but now she resembled an angel. And, being a demon, he knew what an angel looked like. And for the first time, HIM had doubts about this plan.


	4. Chapter 4

Remember, ducklings, I own nothing besides the plot. Oh, and please don't be mad at me for the crack yaoi pairing located in this chapter. If you hold beliefs that contrast with yaoi, then please keep those to yourself and don't go ranting at me. If you rant at me, please rant at me concerning something important..like my grammar or spelling or strange plot devices that don't make a lick of sense. Also, my apologies ahead of time to any dentists or aspiring dental technicians, I personally do not bear any grudges or dislike for you guys. Thank you, you may now read on.

*******()(^w^)() HIBBLES!*******

The next morning, Bubbles woke up much earlier than her host and flew home to collect her things. To her surprise, she saw Major Glory's car parked in the driveway. She knocked and the Professor smiled down at her. "Hello, Bubbles, did you sleep well?"

She nodded. "Mr. Ophelees is very nice. I helped him finish unpacking, too, but it was really dusty and hard work."

"BUBBLES!" A deep voice called in a child-like tone of voice. "HI!" The Infrangable Krunk grinned hugely at her from his seat on the couch. He had a glass of lemonade in his hand and the size of the glass was comical clenched in his humongous fist.

She giggled and waved. "Hi, Krunk!"

"What's up, dudette?" Val Hallen smirked at her and polished his nails on his ripped black shirt. "You've grown since we last saw you."

Bubbles blushed deeply. "Hey, Val Hallen." The hero's smirk widened. "Yeah, long time no see."

"Ahem." Someone coughed behind her and she spun around to face the leader of the Justice Friends. Major Glory was still very young looking and his jaw had not lost any of its definition to wrinkles. His eyes were bright and intelligent behind his winged mask, though a bit arrogant. "Good morning, Miss Utonium."

"Good morning, Major." She replied cheerfully. "I hope you all don't mind picking up our slack while we work as bodyguards for the mayoral candidates. It was very nice of you to volunteer to stay with the Professor, too."

"Aw, babe, it was nothing." Val replied, grinning and taking a swig of his own lemonade. "We were gettin' bored, ya know? Just sitting in the apartment with nothin' to do. Plus, the Professor is totally uptight, dudette. The Major 'n' me 'n' Krunk are gonna show him a tubular time."

Bubbles smiled at her creator, who shot her a nervous look. "Oh? What are you going to do?"

Major Glory glanced at Val, who shrugged. "Well, we were planning to order a few pizzas, maybe watch a movie or two, and probably go swimming."

"Yeah, man, awesome plan!" Val fistbumped his friend enthusiastically. "And let's fit some rock'n'roll in there somewhere, 'kay? And we should TOTALLY introduce this guy to Call of Duty, Black Ops and Team Fortress 2!" He smirked and wrapped a muscular arm around the Professor's shoulders. "We're gonna turn you into a gamer, broski!" He had a mile-wide grin in place as he gesticulated wildly to accentuate his speech. "Yeah, man! And let's pick up some soda and awesome junk food while we're at it! And then we should surf 'til we drop! We'll be icy-chill man, chiller than a glacier in the Arctic Circle!"

Professor appeared unsure. "...Help me.." He squeaked as he was squished up against Val in a manly bear hug.

Bubbles tried to hide her giggles behind her hands. "No can do, Professor! You need to relax."

Major Glory raised an eyebrow as his friend went on and on and on, chuckling to himself a bit. "You need not worry, Miss Utonium. We will take excellent care of your brilliant creator and if we fail in this mission, then you have my express permission to send me to a dentist." He smiled wanly.

"Oh, yes. You do hate them, don't you?"

"Curse their infernal drill bits of doooooom! They will be the end of this country! How can anything so PAINFUL be patriotic? Darn you dentists, darn you to the depths with your attempts to speak to us while our mouths are full of your cold gloved fingers!" He shook his fist at the sky and gritted his teeth. "How dare you tell me that I, Major Glory, have a cavity! I repel such vile occurrences with my Toothbrush of the Union!" He narrowed his eyes and slumped over after realizing that he'd just gone on one of his crazy rants. "Yes...I despise dentists."

She shook her head at his outburst. "I'm not exactly sure how seeing a dentist can be or cannot be patriotic, but I'm not exactly fond of them either. Or rather, the painful teeth scraping and that weird-tasting tooth polish is what I don't like."

Major Glory clapped a hand on her shoulder. "Finally, someone who understands my sorrows! I knew you were my favorite Puff for a reason!"

They were both startled by a loud banging noise and looked over to see that Val was nailing the door to the lab shut and covering it with a super sized padlock. The Professor was staring at the hero's handiwork with shock. Val tucked the key away. "Now that the temptation to work is gone, you'll be able to totally pay attention to hanging out with us, dude!"

"Bubbles, may I have a word in private?" The Major murmured as they watched Val carry the protesting Professor into the living room for a movie session.

"Sure!" She led him into the dining room and closed the door behind them.

Major Glory bit his lip and rocked back and forth on his feet. "Well, Miss Utonium, I'd like you swear by our great nation's honor that you will not repeat what I tell you to anyone other than your sisters and to make sure that they do not tell others either."

Confused, but curious, she swore. "What is it, Major?"

"Well, do not take this the wrong way, Miss Utonium, but we did not offer to watch out for your Professor just because we were bored." Major Glory cleared his throat, obviously uncomfortable. "I am..unsure how you will feel about this particular subject, however I hope that you will prove to be open-minded." She nodded, hoping he'd just get on with whatever he had to say. "Um..how do I say this...uh..."

"Are you trying to tell me Val Hallen likes the Professor?" She asked, finally fed up with his stumbling. "Because I already know that." His jaw dropped and he began to stammer. "Oh, come on, Major, it's obvious. Val's always sending stuff to the Professor, pictures of where you guys are and all the bad guys you've beaten, and he's even gone out of his way to send the Professor chemicals that are practically impossible to find locally, not to mention he's got that obvious overprotective streak going on and don't even get me started on the goo-goo eyes. Frankly, I'm happy for the Professor and for Val, I just hope they get over that typical blindness to each other's feelings and get together already."

"Uh..."

"Furthermore, I've always wanted another parent around and it'd be nice if Val was over more often, so tell him that he'd better start visiting more if he wants to become part of the family. Finally, I've got to finish packing and get back to politician-sitting, so please pass that along to Val for me." She smiled brightly and zipped up to her room leaving Major Glory speechless and mildly impressed.

******(^W^)HIBBLES!*******

Having finally straightened everything out with the Mayor, Buttercup easily found ' house on Cherry Street in the suburbs of Townsville. The house was very nice and well-kept. One of those 'American Dream' type of houses with a tiny yard surrounded by a white picketed fence. She rang the doorbell and waited. Finally, the door opened to reveal a rather short man shaped roughly like a bowling pin. He was partially balding, but still had a little brownish hair streaked with white. His nose was large and he wore a monocle in his left eye. "Why, hello, Buttercup!"

"Um..do I know you? You look really familiar..." Buttercup thought hard, but no one came to mind.

The little man chuckled. "Well I should, I'm Mayor's cousin, Governor." He invited her inside and she followed him to his kitchen where he poured her a glass of chocolate milk. "You and I have never met, of course, but I've heard so much about you and your sisters. All of it was good, don't worry! It's wonderful to finally meet the protectors of this beautiful city! We might be working very closely together soon, so why don't you settle down and tell me a bit about yourself and I'll do the same."

Governor Williams turned out to be both strikingly similar to his cousin Mayor, but also strikingly different. He did not like pickles, but he did like chocolate a great deal. Also, he was a better listener and presented more of an awareness of others than Mayor did, though to be fair, Mayor was adorable despite his faults. Buttercup found herself enjoying his pleasant conversation, although she couldn't normally stand small talk. The chocolate milk and homemade chocolate chunk cookies probably helped her opinion, too.

Well, it seems like the girls are all getting along quite nicely. What in the world could possibly go wrong? As narrator and avid follower of politics, I can tell you with certainty that EVERYTHING can go wrong...hm..perhaps I made that spoiler a bit too obvious...IGNORE THE NARRATOR SPEAKING TO YOU FROM THE SKY! SHE IS NOT THE NARRATOR YOU ARE LOOKING FOR! SHE DOES NOT HAVE CUPCAKES! BACK AWAY SLOWLY FROM THE FANFIC AND HAVE A NICE DAY. THANK YOU. NOW I THINK THE SHIFT IS STUCK...oh wait...nope..false alarm. I hope no one reads this. I'm just writing this to fill up a weird time gap. Really. It's...*checks clock* two am where I am and I'm hyper on soda and popcorn. While I'm at it, I'd like to thank all of my lovely reviewers who have been so kind even when I was sure that this was one of the most terribly crack-like and erratic fanfics of my long and illustrious career in writing erratic and crack-like stories...YOU GUYS ARE MY LITTLE MELDA DUCKLINGS AND I LOVE YOU. QUACK. Yes, I'm insane. Sorry, please don't leave...I love you...this is really weird...even for me...oh well, no one will read this...I'm safe...


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